the next night he held the cigarette to his mouth
til it was all ash but the last quarter inch
we told him be careful
if your last hit's too hard you'll burn yourself
he slowly
put the thing out
in the ashtray
put the bend of a finger
to his lips
lit the nail end
smoked it down
to the last quarter inch
didn't bother
about the ashes
from Bar Room Ballads (1992)
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This is an amazing narrative, unlike so much of your work! I really liked its dark suspense. Reminds me of Bowie's "Rock N Roll Suicide," another tale of smoking gone awry.
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